Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series Runs July 14th Through July 28th

(July 7, 2018) The busiest weeks of dirt track racing in the Southeast kick off on Saturday July 14th with the running of the Fourteenth Annual Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series presented by Sunoco Race Fuels and Tennessee RV. Drivers will race for over $266,000 in prize money in 11 races. Drivers will have driven over 1,107 miles in 21 hours of driving during the Southern Nationals. If one driver were to win every race, they would receive $63,400 in first place money and $68,453 total after the first-place points money.

At Wythe Raceway on July 14th, drivers must meet the following criteria for being eligible to race in the feature event where Promoter Fred Brown has announced all cars that attend the event will be allowed to qualify for the feature event paying $10,000-to-win and $500-to-start. All cars will qualify and heat race. No cars will be locked in through qualifying. The only drivers past the 22-car starting field will be the ones who meet the following criteria: 1) Qualifying lap times must be within 1.5 seconds (max) from the fifth overall fastest driver at the end of qualifying. 2) Legitimate all-aluminum engines will only be permitted. 3) Driver must have raced at least twice in 2018.

Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. will host Round 2 on Monday Night July 16th paying $3,500-to-win. This will be the first time the since 2013 that the series will visit. Vic Hill took the payday that year.

411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, Tenn. will again be on this year’s schedule as the series will roll into the beautiful Smoky Mountains on Tuesday Night July 17th paying $3,500 to win. Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn. won the inaugural visit in 2014 and Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga. won the 2015 series visit. David Crabtree won his first-career series victory during 2016 and Donald McIntosh won during last season’s visit.

On Thursday July 19th the tour will visit to Toccoa Raceway in Toccoa, Ga. for a 35-lap $3,500-to-win and $400-to-start event. This will mark the first-ever trip to the Mike Davidson promoted track.

On Friday Night July 20th the Southern Nationals competitors travel to Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway for Round # 5 of the tour paying $5,300-to-win. Last year at Swainsboro, Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga. took the payday.

Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. will host the series on Saturday Night July 21st paying $10,000 to win during the 19th annual Rebel Yell event. Dennis Franklin of Gaffney, S.C. claimed the 2014 and 2015 series visits while Chris Ferguson of Mt. Holly took the payday in the 2016 visit. Casey Roberts claimed the victory during the 2017 series visit to Screven.

On Sunday Night July 22nd, Round # 7 of the series will bring action to the Rome Speedway in Rome, Ga. paying $5,300-to-win. Randy Weaver won in 2014 while the 2015 tour appearance was claimed by rain at the famed Rome Speedway. Dale McDowell claimed the $5,300 payday in 2016 and rain claimed the event in 2017.

Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, Ga. will host Round # 8 of the tour for the fourth time on Tuesday Night July 24th as the SNS competitors will be competing for the $3,500 top prize. Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga. won in 2015 at Boyd’s while David Payne of Murphy, N.C. won the 2016 series visit. Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga. claimed the 2017 visit to Boyd’s Speedway.

On Thursday Night July 26th the tour will roll into Crossville (Tenn.) Speedway for a 35-lap $3,500-to-win show and Round # 9 of the tour. Chris Madden won the series visits to Crossville in 2008 and 2009 while Craig Vosbergen of Perth, Western Australia captured his first-career victory in 2016. Brandon Overton claimed the victory in 2017.

Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tenn. will host Round # 10 of the tour on Friday Night July 27th. This will mark the series’ fifth appearance to the track located just minutes from Knoxville. The event pays $5,300-to-win. Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C. claimed the 2014 series visit while Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn. won in 2015. The event was rained out in 2016 and 2017.

On Saturday Night July 28th the tour will finish the eleven-race journey with a $10,000-to-win event at the Gary Hall owned high-banked Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway oval. Eric Jacobsen of Rio Del Mar, Cal. won the 2014 series visit while Vic Hill won the 2015 series visit to the Bad Fast Taz. Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. won the $10,000 payday in 2016 while Brandon Overton claimed the finale and the Championship in 2017. Tazewell has been the only track on the tour that has hosted the finale every season.

Some of the drivers that have given intentions on trying to complete the entire tour include: Chicky Barton of Middlesboro, Ky., Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, Tenn., 2016 Champion Devin Gilpin of Columbus, Ind., Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., Robby Moses of Maryville, Tenn., Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., Aaron Ridley of Chatsworth, Ga., and Craig Vosbergen of Perth, Western Australia.

Each night, the tour will feature a complete show of Practice, Qualifying, Heat Races/Conseys and the Main events (either 35 or 53 laps in distance). A $100 entry fee will be charged each night and transponders will be available for rent at each event. At the first series event, provisional starting spots will be based on one from last year’s Southern Nationals Series points and this year’s final Spring Nationals Series points if needed.

The Southern Nationals Series will feature a points fund in excess of $15,000 with $5,053 going to the Series Champion, second place receives $2,553, third place receives $2,053, fourth place receives $1,553, fifth place receives $1,053, sixth place receives $753, seventh place receives $653 and eighth place in series points will receive $553 along with all other prefect attendance drivers. Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga. is the defending series champion. Race purses in excess of $266,000 will go out the door in just eleven days of racing. The top AR Bodies/MasterSbilt Race Cars Rookie of the Year for the tour will receive a $1,000 cash award. The top-five drivers in points after the first event will be guaranteed to leave each race with $600 minimum if they make the feature race and $300 minimum if they don’t make the feature race.

One driver will collect an additional $5,053 if he is the overall champion of the Spring, Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals and Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals Bonus Series at season’s end.

At each Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals, Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals and Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Bonus Series event in 2018, the highest finishing CT525 engine in the main event will receive a $200 bonus and the highest finishing Steel Head/SPEC engine will also receive a $200 bonus.

Further information on the Spring Nationals, Southern Nationals and Southern Nationals Bonus Series can be obtained by calling Promoter Ray Cook at (828) 360-5353 or Series P.R. Coordinator Chris Tilley at (606) 219-1723 or visit the official website located at www.SouthernNationalsSeries.com .